The Nomadic Bookstore

Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share
1

I saw it again today.

I drive to a shopping plaza in Cincinnati, and, in the empty space where a clothing store has closed, the Wandering Bookstore has installed itself.

“Giant Book Sale!” proclaims the big yellow sign, which appears to be the only name the store has.

The store is filled with cheap tables piled high with cheap books, mostly remaindered trade paperbacks of profound and fascinating obscurity, treasures that must be claimed now or lost forever.

I’ve seen it before, always in a different place. I know that, if I go back to that plaza again next week, I’ll find nothing but an empty storefront, with no evidence that a bookstore was ever there.

Then I’ll go shopping on the other side of town, and there they’ll be. But I could never find them by looking; they can only be discovered by serendipity.

Who are these wandering booksellers? Is it the same kind of magic as the Mysterious Shops in Pratchett’s novels? Are they avoiding their creditors by staying constantly on the move? Do they confine themselves to Cincinnati, or do they wander the nation, or even the world? Is there really a profit to be made in the constant unloading and reloading of books into ever-changing, always identical stores? Do the nervous-looking clerks travel with the books (perhaps in large shipping crates), or do they clandestinely hire different people in every stop?

Suddenly I am fascinated by the Bookstore Nomads.

2

I’ve seen stores like that from time to time (in Florida some, elsewhere occasionally) and they always have great stuff. I’m kinda curious about them, too. Do they just take a whole mess of money, buy up some remainders cheap, then take the cash and move somewhere to do it all over again?

3

I’ve spotted them here in northern Virginia (at Bailey’s Crossroads a couple years ago, and near Springfield Mall last year) and once in Erie, PA. My guess is that they go wherever they can get retail space cheap for a couple months - places that are between renters or something, and the landlord is willing to rent to them on a month-to-month basis until they find a permanent tenant.

4

I’ve seen them here from time to time too. Occasionally I’ve gotten good books at good prices, and there’s always a lot of junk.

The last time they also had some odds and ends, so I bought this trunk. Strange thing…it has lots of tiny feet.

Funny. The place was gone the next day.